Yozora and Ash's group found a spot by the lakeside to rest. The breeze was cool, the water glittered, and they chatted casually as the day went on.
"The preliminaries consist of five rounds. Yozora's third battle will be held on the Ice Field, while Ash's third will take place on the Grass Field. Both of you, do your best," Brock said as he flipped through a tournament guidebook.
The preliminaries had five full rounds. Contestants in each bracket—A, B, C, and D—would battle through all five rounds, and the top eight of each bracket would advance to the main competition.
The main tournament—thirty-two trainers, clashing for glory.
"Ice Field, huh?" Yozora nodded slightly.
On the Ice Field, Ice-type Pokémon naturally had the upper hand.
But precisely because of this, most trainers were likely to use Ice-types in that environment.
Which meant there was another angle: using types that countered Ice. Fire-types, Fighting-types… sneaky choices to exploit the field's common strategy.
Before each match, trainers had to register their lineup in advance.
That made prediction critical—what would the opponent bring?
Would they field Ice-types to leverage the environment?Or Fire-types to counter Ice?Or perhaps Water-types to counter Fire—countering the counter?
It was a contest of foresight.
And the safest bet was always to research the opponent beforehand: find out what Pokémon they favored, then build the sharpest, most targeted lineup possible.
"Oh right, Yozora," Misty suddenly asked. "If I remember correctly, your Nidorino just needs a Moon Stone to evolve, right? Why haven't you let it evolve? Wouldn't that make it much stronger?"
"Yes," Yozora nodded with a faint smile. "I've already asked a senior of mine to help me find a top-grade Moon Stone."
Times had changed.
Back then, Yozora had owned a superb Moon Stone, but sold it out of financial desperation.
Now, with money no longer an issue, such treasures were ironically harder to acquire.
But it didn't matter—rare stones could always be found, as long as you had the funds.
Unless, of course, it was something like the Tri-Color Evolution Stone. That was in another league entirely—an artifact of unimaginable rarity, priceless beyond measure.
Yozora already possessed one. And no matter how tight money got, he would never sell it.
He knew too well—such an item wasn't just rare, it was nearly unique. Even if not the only one in the world, it was certainly one of the very few.
Sell it, and he might never see another again.
Absolutely not.
Yozora had long decided he would capture an Eevee and raise it personally, using the Tri-Color Stone only when the time was right. But Eevee itself was rare, and he had yet to find one worthy of such a treasure.
Precisely because the stone was so valuable, his standards were high. Not just any Eevee would do—it had to be extraordinary. If not destined for Champion potential, then at least Elite Four-tier potential.
Otherwise, using the Tri-Color Evolution Stone would be nothing short of a waste.
"Did you hear that, James? That brat's looking for a top-grade Moon Stone!"
Hidden in the flowerbeds near the lake, Team Rocket's trio—Jessie, James, and Meowth—crouched low, eavesdropping with shameless glee.
Jessie remembered Yozora well.
Back in the Safari Zone's Dragon Valley, if it hadn't been for him, she would've captured that Dratini!
That grudge still burned in her chest.
"With a superb Moon Stone and that Dratini, we'll catch them both in one swoop! Our finances will skyrocket!" Jessie whispered, her eyes glittering with greed.
But James frowned, looking uneasy. "Jessie… that kid is Yozora. Haven't you seen his battles? He's strong. Really strong."
Meowth nodded emphatically. "Yeah, I agree. With our strength, we're better off sticking to catching Pikachu. That's the real prize!"
Every person carried an aura.
The stronger someone's spirit, the more oppressive their presence became.
Like Cynthia—gentle, elegant, yet her aura alone made Brock too intimidated to even flirt.
Yozora's aura wasn't at Cynthia's level, but it was still formidable.
James and Meowth often felt a chill when they stared at him too long, cold sweat forming instinctively. Deep down, they were afraid of him.
Jessie, however, seemed unaffected—perhaps her raw willpower made her immune to such pressure.
"Hah, I nearly forgot! That kid doesn't just have Dratini, he's also got that Golden Magikarp!" Jessie's eyes burned hotter with desire.
James and Meowth only sighed helplessly. "Let's not, Jessie. He's way out of our league…"
"Cowards! We're Team Rocket! The trusted agents of Giovanni himself! If we can't even deal with one boy, what good are we?" Jessie snapped, scolding them both.
Her fire stunned James and Meowth into silence. In the end, they reluctantly agreed to help her scheme.
But only once that top-grade Moon Stone surfaced.
…
Unaware of Team Rocket's plotting, Yozora soon faced his third match.
"On the Ice Field, for our third-round match, we welcome Yozora versus Lightning!"
"Yozora is well known for his rare and dazzling Pokémon. Among rookie trainers, he shines brighter than most. We look forward to his performance today!"
"And Lightning—true to his name—is a veteran trainer specializing in Electric-types. On the Ice Field, will he unleash his full potential? Let's watch and see!"
The host's introduction was spirited.
As the rounds went on, more and more trainers had been eliminated. The remaining contestants grew fewer—and stronger.
By now, every trainer deserved the spotlight.
The referee gave the signal.
Yozora and Lightning hurled their Poké Balls at the same time.
With twin flashes of light, Yozora's Miltank and Lightning's Hitmonchan appeared on the icy arena.
It was the Ice Field, yet neither side chose an Ice-type.
But type matchups were clear—Hitmonchan held the advantage.
As a Fighting-type, it countered not only Ice but also Normal. A double edge against Miltank.
"Hmph! Even if Miltank isn't Ice-type, it's still weak to my Hitmonchan. Victory is mine!"
Lightning smirked confidently and raised his hand. "Go, Hitmonchan! Use Mach Punch!"
At once, Hitmonchan's body blurred as it burst forward, fists whipping out in a flurry of sonic strikes aimed straight at Miltank.
…
…
(End of Chapter)